Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I welcome back Patheos blogger and now author John Beckett to discuss his new book The Path of Paganism: An Experienced-Based Guide to Modern Pagan Practice. During the discussion, we talk about the idea of Big Tent Paganism, Why Paganism is making a comeback, the necessity of myth, Pagan priesthood, and more. It was great to sit down and chat with John once again and we hope you enjoy the many directions that we went in.

Paganism is a way of seeing the world and your place in it. It means challenging the assumptions of mainstream society and strengthening your relationships with the gods, the universe, your community, and your self. The Path of Paganism provides practical advice and support for honoring your values and living an authentic Pagan life in mainstream Western culture.

Discover tips for establishing or deepening a regular practice. Explore how your spirituality can help you deal with life’s inevitable hardships. Learn the basics of leadership roles and other steps to take as you gain experience and move into more advanced practices. With questions for contemplation as well as rituals to help you integrate new concepts, this book guides you through a profoundly meaningful way of life. – Llewellyn.com

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame, and we usually cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers, but tonight that isn’t happening. It’s minisode time! I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I sit down for our very first minisode where we take time to do some updates and to discuss different things that interest us. This being our first time recording with two microphones, post production was a bit tricky and I can’t say it’s perfect, but it’s a good talk with the occasional bit of reverb unfortunately. My editing abilities are only so good, but next time we’re going to try a new recording set up. Enjoy!

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with blogger, artist, and author Laura Tempest Zakroff to discuss her new book The Witch’s Cauldron, her background, her work, witchcraft, P-words, and more. We don’t even scratch the surface of all that Laura is involved with because of some reminiscing and a lot of goofing around. Along with being an author Laura is an accomplished blogger, artist, performer, and musician as one of the key members of The Nathaniel Johnstone Band. All in all, this was another good time for Tara and I. We look forward to having Laura back on the show when her future book Sigil Witchery comes out and to catching up with her when she’s in the motherland of Southern New Jersey.

Explore the spellbinding history, tradition, and modern uses of the Witch’s cauldron. From blessing and using your cauldron in ritual and divination to practicing kitchen witchery with it, this easy-to-use book provides essential information for Witches of all ages and skill levels.

The Witch’s Cauldron shows you the ins and outs of one of the most iconic tools in Witchcraft. Learn about the cauldron’s role in lore and mythology, its development through the ages, and old-world witchery. Discover how to choose, personalize, and care for your cauldron, and find unconventional ones already in your home. This entertaining book also features advice and spells from well-known writers, helping you delve into the endless possibilities for using a cauldron in your practice. – The Witch’s Cauldron, Llewellyn Worldwide

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with author and teacher Corinne Boyer to discuss her recent book Under the Witching Tree available from Troy Books and her upcoming book Plants of the Devil available from Three Hands Press. Corinne is a folk herbalist currently living in the Pacific Northwest and has a Bachelor of Science in biomedical science with an emphasis on plant chemistry and botany. She has been featured in two publications and will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Viridis Genii Symposium happening June 9-11th in Damascus, Oregon. It was great to be able to sit down and speak with her about her work and we hope that enjoy our interview with Corinne. Be sure to stick around after the interview to hear about two special announcements that we have to share!

For the past six months or so- in the shadows of the Orapello & Maguire household, a beast stirs that has snoozed and slumbered quietly, but was fed regularly and now- the day has come for it rise! We’ve alluded to this via the very occasional vague Facebook post, but have mostly kept it secret until all the points were in their place.

Sometime during the Fall of 2018, Tara and I will not only be getting married, but we will also become published authors under Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser. We are absolutely thrilled to be working with them! Our home library contains a huge number of Weiser books and to be counted among so many wonderful authors and a part of such an inspiring catalog of books is beyond humbling for both of us.

Our book will be about our own brand of Traditional Witchcraft, specifically what we have been doing with Blacktree and for now, that’s all we’re going to share about this amazing venture. Rest assured, we are simply ecstatic about sharing our own brand of witchcraft with you through such a well-respected and treasured publisher as Weiser Books. Definitely stay tuned for more announcements in the future because the real work for us is only just ahead and now that the cat is out of the bag, we’ll be talking more about things with all of you.

Thank you to Weiser Books, for your vision and faith in our work. We look forward to working with you in bringing Blacktree to the world.

I’ve been traveling to that spot for years, ever since I was a child. At first, I didn’t know that sharks patrolled those waters- I could see other beach-goers in the water, no one was screaming or being bitten. No blood. So, I figured it was safe, right? For a while, it was actually my favorite place to swim. The sea was mild, there were no jellyfish to suddenly bob madly up beside you with their jellythreats of jellystings. No seaweed to wind slick and insidious around your limbs. It was grand.

And then one day- something brushed against my leg. When I looked down, I was in the water up to my chest, and I saw its grey and white flank, its eye- black and soulless. I saw its razor grin. It was enormous. It was the first time I ever experienced the phenomenon of one’s blood running cold, whether awake or asleep. Quite unsettling, especially in a dream and especially for the first time. I began to avoid that area, like one does. If my dreams brought me there, I would panic and flee and ultimately- wake up. One time, I dreamt I was standing on a hill above the beach, looking down at the water and I could see them- all the sharks. There were so many and they were so huge. Now, I find myself still going to that area, but I sit on the hill only and I watch the sharks from afar.

Patreon is a support platform for content creators such as artists, musicians, podcasters, and more! Patrons choose the level of support that they prefer in exchange for rewards set by the site owner. There is no commitment or required length of time to invest. We offer instant and long term rewards to help show that your support is continually providing you with something in return!

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with author, artist, alchemist, and leading authority on plants and herbal magick, Harold Roth to the discuss his new book The Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Plants and Herbs for Your Magical Garden, as well as his online store Alchemy Works which has been in business for over seventeen years. Along with our discussion we do an immense amount of laughing as we talk about his experiences with running a magickal business, his art, his thoughts on Andrew Chumbley as well as his thoughts regarding esoteric scholarship and the translation of older texts and manuscripts. Harold was a great guest and we certainly hope that you appreciate such an unexpected and enjoyable time as you learn another reason why we can’t have nice things.

Harold Roth is a leading authority on plant/herbal magic. His new book, The Witching Herbs, is an in-depth exploration of 13 essential plants and herbs most closely associated with witchcraft―13 because it’s the witching number and reflects the 13 months of the lunar calendar. The plants are poppy, clary sage, yarrow, rue, hyssop, vervain, mugwort, wormwood, datura, wild tobacco, henbane, belladonna, and mandrake. – The Witching Herbs

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with author, filmmaker, and voodoo priestess Lilith Dorsey to talk about her experiences as a professional reader and witch as well as to discuss her new book, Love Magic: Over 250 Spells and Potions for Getting It, Keeping It, and Making It Last. Along with her book we also discuss her Patheos blog: Voodoo Universe, as well as the challenges she has faced through her involvement with Voodoo and Pagan communities and some of the misconceptions about Voodoo which she still deals with to this day.

Based on years of magical experience and prodigious research, Love Magic includes sections on such topics as self-love, marriage, fertility, erotic adventures, the ethics of love magic, and more. The spells are drawn from a wide diversity of magical traditions and focus on an equally diverse situations. There are spells for finding love, keeping love, and healing yourself so that you are ready for love. The book also includes rituals for invoking goddesses of love. Dorsey considers and discusses all facets of the romantic experience. – blackbrigit.com

Hello and thank you once again for joining us down at the crossroads for some music, magick, and Paganism. Where witches gather for the sabbath, offerings are made, pacts are signed for musical fame and we cross paths with today’s most influential Pagans, occultists, and deep thinkers. I am your bewitching, bald headed, host Chris Orapello and tonight Tara and I meet with author and Wiccan priestess Courtney Weber to discuss her new book Tarot for One as well as our time together at FaerieCon, the tarot deck she created Tarot of the Boroughs, along with some of the tips and tricks she’s learned over the years to running a coven. Courtney offers her insight into being a Priestess, her love of certain eighties movies, and further evidence that she’s not afraid to have a good time. This was a great discussion with Courtney as it was nice to speak with her for the first time since meeting at FaerieCon.

Courtney Weber is a Priestess, author, and activist. She is the author of “Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess” and “Tarot for One: The Art of Reading for Yourself (both through Weiser Books).” She is the producer and designer of “Tarot of the Boroughs”: A contemporary Tarot deck set in NYC, composed of original photography. Courtney is on the board of Solar Cross Temple. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and cats. www.thecocowitch.com